Earl Lloyd, the first African-American to play in the NBA, died Thursday in Detroit. He was 86. Lloyd's career wasn't particularly spectacular -- a 6'5 small forward he averaged 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds over nine seasons -- but his importance was bigger than basketball. Lloyd won the 1955 NBA championship with the Syracuse Nationals and also coached the Detroit Pistons in 1971-72. He was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor in 2003. Lloyd was one of three black players to join the league at the beginning of the 1950-51 season alongside Chuck Cooper of the Celtics and Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton of the Knicks. The fact that Lloyd played before the other two was a matter of scheduling. Cooper passed away in 1984, Clifton in 1990. Read more http://www.sbnation.com/2015/2/26/8118979/earl-lloyd-first-black-player-in-nba-history-dies-at-86